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She added: “The council requires tattoo artists to register before they can work on members of the public so they know they are properly trained and will prevent the spread of disease and infection. This is serious because tattooing can spread HIV or hepatitis B.

“But a health and safety inspection was carried out and it was discovered that an apprentice was tattooing members of the public in a way that was unclean and unsafe.

Pirake Ink, in Paradise Street, Tunstall

“It was clear the defendant failed to prevent risks to the apprentice and members of the public. The inspectors felt there was an immediate risk to the apprentice and the public.”

The court heard registered tattooist and business owner Wilkinson should have ensured his apprentices were following the correct procedures.

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But Miss Messenger said the apprentice was not wearing protective clothing or a disposable gown and had fake nails, which could have pierced her gloves exposing her to possible infections.

She added: “A subsequent inspection a few days later found that hot water was not available for hand washing and that there was no solution to clean needles.”

The court heard the council issued a notice for the apprentice to stop tattooing on May 20 and then one on the defendant five days later to prevent him from using apprentice workers without the proper training.

Simon Dykes, mitigating, told the court that Wilkinson had run the studio for more than a decade and had never failed an inspection before.

He said: “The lion’s share of the problems seemed to come from the apprentice but the defendant accepts he is not free from blame. Although lots of what she was doing should have been common sense.

“At the time he had recently lost a close friend. He was at a low point at the time of the inspection but admits he was responsible.

Councillor Randy Conteh, cabinet member for housing, communities and safer city, said: “All tattooists and their premises must be registered with the city council and be suitably trained to ensure they control the risk to their health and their clients.

"Rules require the treatment area, fixtures and fittings to be in good repair and kept clean, and surfaces should be of a suitable type so they can be disinfected. Specialist equipment must also be cleaned and sterilised before being used again.

"A poorly trained tattooist can be responsible for serious bacterial and viral infections which can cause scarring, or infections such as HIV and hepatitis.

"Those who disregard health and safety procedures can pose a real risk to the health of their clients and themselves.”